Erin
by boysenberrykid
Summary: A girl is whisked away NeverLand and joins the lost boys. Suddenly, Captain Hook and his evil minions, the Indians, the mermaids, and finally the Lost Boys turn against her. CHAPTER 16 UP!
1. Straight on 'till morning

Almost everyone knows the story of Peter Pan and Never-never Land. They know of the pirates and Indians and fairies who live there. They have all heard of the tales of adventures of Wendy, Michael, and John. But what they have not heard is what happened after Peter Pan left, because the life did not disappear with him. The life is still there.  
  
With Peter Pan gone, his gang, the lost boys, lived on. Tinkerbell continued to gather handfuls of rosy-cheeked boys from around the world to come and live with them. That was the way things were... until Tinkerbell made a horrible mistake.   
  
It was a mid-summer night. The noise and smog of the city had finally succumbed to the lullaby of nighttime and its shimmering city lights. The air was warm and heavy. Small, wispy clouds dotted the velvet sky, lit by tiny pinpoints of starlight and the luminous glow of the not-quite-full moon. A tiny light hovered over an open window of a New York apartment building. It darted inside, where a child lay sleeping. "Sleep little boy,  
  
in my arms you're safe,  
  
I will carry you away,  
  
to a much better place,  
  
We will ride on the wind,  
  
to a land of true being,  
  
Second Star to the right,  
  
and straight on 'till morning."  
  
The child was lifted into the air, and floated away with the light. They flew silently and unnoticed into the morning. Four boys sat against a large elm tree. They were barefoot and dressed in well-worn clothes with their breeches rolled up to their knees. The biggest one sat chewing thoughtfully on a juicy green apple.  
  
"Tucker, d'you think Tink's back yet? She has been gone for a long time now."  
  
"I don't know, Jon." Tucker answered between bites, "she can be gone for days at a time. She could be between my toes right now for all I know."  
  
Their conversation paused as the lazy summer sun drenched the boys with warmth. Tucker chewed on his apple some more, savoring the sour flavor. "Look!" the smallest boy shouted. "There she is! Up in the sky!" They all rose to their feet. "Tink's back! Tink's back!" Jon shouted. All of the boys strained to see her, the faint light coming nearer and nearer. Finally, she landed on a tree branch and hopped down to earth, laughing cheerily with her bell-like voice. The boys gathered around ecstatically, not just because Tinkerbell was back, but also because she was bringing a brand new child for them to meet. All of the boys clustered around. The boy had shoulder-length, tumbling dark chestnut curls and his strong nose was dotted with light, almost invisible freckles. Tucker whispered, "Shhhh! He's still sleeping." With Tinkerbell flying behind, Tucker carried the boy back to the old maple tree. Jon pushed a knot on the trunk and a hidden door creaked open. They carried the boy down the spiral staircase into the tree, laid him on the soft feather mattress, covered him with a worn patchwork quilt, and crept out silently. Erin knew that she had to be dreaming. Sharon wasn't screeching at her to get up, and she was laying on something marvelously warm and soft. She didn't want to wake up; she didn't want to let the dream go. She kept her eyes firmly closed and pinched her arm. "Ouch!" she mumbled. She groped around the soft bed, hoping to find some assurance that it was real, that it was true, that she wasn't in apartment number 8-C in New York, New York. Erin finally screwed up the courage to open her eyes. It wasn't New York, at least. She was staring at a dirt ceiling with a root snaking through it. She looked right and left. The sunlight streaming through the windows set high in the wall was brighter, clearer than in New York. Then she noticed something else: it was completely devoid of the honking, squealing-tires, growling-engines tune that was New York traffic. The songs of birds and rustle of the wind in trees seemed not at all out of place here, though. Have I seen this place before? Or is it just one of my imaginings? Erin wondered to herself. She cocked her head and listened to voices coming from the next room. "He's been sleeping ever since Tink got back!" "Can't wait to show him the island!" "D'you think he'll be hungry?" "Be quiet there," chided a strange voice. It sounded like the chiming of bells, yet somehow Erin could clearly understand what it was saying. "Once he wakes up, we'll give him some breakfast. Then you can show him around the island." "Aw, Tinkerbell, I'm sure that first he'll want to see all of Never-never Land first thing!" Now Erin knew, even though she could clearly see a bruise forming where she had pinched herself, that she must be dreaming. Never-never Land. . . That was where Peter Pan, from the stories, had lived. She remembered reading the book Peter Pan. It had seemed like such an idyllic existence.having nothing to do except whatever she wanted, being able to go where she wanted to go and say what she wanted to say. In Never-never Land there would be no obligations and no sadness and no Sharon. Hadn't she been wishing, idlely hoping, just last evening that she could be part Never-Never Land's beautiful dream, be part of a life that was far away from Sharon and the misery of apartment 8-C? Even if it was only a dream, hadn't her wish been granted? But the people in the next room had to be referring to someone else, and that someone else was obviously a boy. Erin cautiously rose to her feet, glancing around at her surroundings. Her mattress was stuffed with some kind of feathers. But the bed was even softer that Sharon's was, and Sharon's was made out of pure goose's feathers. The walls were the most intriguing things, though. They were all completely made of dirt. Erin figured that the room had been dug out of the ground and. and. well, what did she care? It was all a dream, anyhow, and any minute she would have to go make breakfast for Sharon and her daughter, Shannon. In the corner, there was a washstand that was roughly carved out of wood. On it rested a bowl of cool, perfectly clear water. Erin splashed some water on her face and looked in at her reflection in the bowl, sighing. She wished so badly that it was real, that the lost boys would really show her and the boy that they were talking about around the island. Would there be Indians or mermaids or pirates to thwart? Erin splashed her hand in the water to dissolve the image of her face that was almost too real to be just a dream. On the washstand, a set of clothes was waiting for her. Erin held up her new apparel and examined it. The shirt was leaf-green, with buttons made of tiny sticks up the front. Throwing her pajama top to the dirt floor, Erin slipped it over her head. It fit her perfectly, and it was soft and cool. The breeches were cut so they would fall just above the knees. She pulled them on and tied the green drawstring.they were softer than anything she had worn in New York. She bent over to stroke them.Probably leather, she decided. They were a soft brown color and allowed plenty of freedom to run around. Erin smiled as she looked down at herself. Whoever made the outfit certainly did not  
  
make it for a girl in New York. She looked back down into the bowl of water, which had settled down into a smooth, reflective surface again. Sighing, Erin wondered if the girl whose reflection she was gazing at would ever have enough courage to face the lost boys. She didn't know why, but Erin was very worried about facing the boys of the island. What if they didn't like her? What if they paid her no attention? She did not know what she would do if they ignored her. Erin absolutely could not stand to be ignored. She got enough of it at home, when Sharon pretended to be completely oblivious when Erin asked for anything, but if you were ignored in a dream, well, that totally unacceptable. Erin ran her fingers through her dark brown hair and sighed, again. Why was she shy of fictional characters, characters that would be gone as soon as she woke up? She took one more look at the lightly freckled face staring at her from the bowl of water. It seemed like her reflection was trying to reassure her. Erin took a deep breath and pushed through the curtains covering a round hole in the wall. On the other side, she found eleven rustic boys staring at her. 


	2. Introductions

"Ah.hello," she managed.  
  
Suddenly all the boys crowded around her, asking questions. Her  
  
head buzzed with their unabashed chatter; she was overwhelmed. She tried to answer a few of their inquiries, but every time she mustered the courage to answer, another question was shot right at her.   
  
One of the boys whistled very shrilly and high. All the others  
  
covered their ears. "Tuck-errr," one boy whined. "Ouch, Tucker." "Hey, guys, give him some room. What's your name?" asked Tucker.  
  
Erin was confused. "He?" she stammered. A tall, lanky boy with auburn-honey colored hair and piercing dark blue eyes raised one eyebrow.   
  
".You," the tall boy said pointedly.  
  
She was still confused, but decided to answer the question. "My  
  
name is Erin." "Now he has to-" "Shhh!" a chorus of hushing boys interrupted. "Erin." She looked for what was speaking her name in such a bell-like voice. In fact, now that Erin thought about it, she had only heard bells ringing. But still, she understood what was being said clearly. She looked around the room, and then saw a glimmer of light sitting on her shoulder. The tiny sparkle that Erin knew had to be the legendary Tinkerbell continued, "As Eric just was going to tell you, all of the lost boys carve their names into this post." Tinkerbell fluttered off of Erin's shoulder and danced around a log that held up the earthen ceiling. Erin walked over slowly and noticed that a long list of names was carved into the post. "Right here. You're one of us now.you need to carve your name." Erin looked around at the sea of faces. All of them were smiling and eager except for two.the tall boy with those disconcerting blue eyes and a smaller, lithe one with hair and eyes as dark as midnight. They were looking at each other, not at Erin. The small boy seemed to be asking a question of the other.he frowned, and broke off the glance to look at Erin again. "In your pocket," the blue-eyed boy told her. Erin reached into the pocket of her soft leather pants and drew out a pocketknife. She flipped it open, and as she began digging the letters of her name into the log, they all gathered around. "It's a record, sort of. To keep track of all the lost boys we've ever had here in Neverland," said a boy whose unruly hair and glasses made him look like an owl. Erin paused in the middle of her "R" and looked at the list.there were certainly more than 11 names. "Why are there so many names?" Erin asked, looking at the list. Tootles, she saw written at the top of the list, and then Nibs, Slightly, Curly, and the name Twins, written twice in a row. The list stretched down the post even farther, but the ones at the top seemed to be the oldest. "We're just the lost boys now. Before us, there have been many others.sometimes they just get stir-crazy, and sometimes one of them will accidentally." Tucker shuddered. "Sometimes they'll-by accident-grow up." All of the boys looked uneasy except for the one with the dark blue eyes. He was still looking at Erin with that same too-intense stare, and she could feel his eyes on her cheek. "What about the name at the top-why was it scratched off?" inquired Erin. Tucker looked away. "That was Peter Pan," he muttered. Erin shrugged and turned back to the post. She finished carving the "R".then the "I".and at last the "N." The boys looked at each other. "You sure got some weird parents."   
  
Erin didn't understand. "Isn't 'E-R-I-N'.isn't that the girl's spelling?"  
  
"Yes." This confused her even more. Of course my name is spelled the girl's way; I'm a girl! she thought. Why is that weird? And what does that have to do with my parents? She ignored her wonderings for a moment and asked, "But what about all of you? What are your names?" Tucker stepped forward and pointed to each of the boys in turn. "Well, I'm Tucker.you probably knew that. This is Jon." a medium-sized boy with smiling gray eyes grinned hesitantly at Erin. "Winston." that was the awkwardly tall boy with those bottom-of-the-ocean-blue eyes that Erin felt on her back every time she looked away. "Colin." Colin was the small, dark- haired-and-eyed boy who had been looking quizzically at Winston. "Jack." Jack was short but good-looking; he flashed a winning smile Erin's way. "Charlie and Daniel." "We're twins," one of them said. Erin couldn't tell the two tiny red- haired boys apart. "Todd." continued Tucker. Todd was the owl-boy with glasses and very solemn green eyes. "Samuel." He smiled shyly and then looked away. "Eric." Eric had dark skin and curly black hair, and Erin suppressed a giggle when he looked at her adoringly. The final boy grinned embarrassedly. "And Nick. Anyway," he carried on cheerily, "you must see the island first." Samuel knocked on a knot in the tree wall. It automatically thrust forward and revealed a tunnel leading outside. "I invented the door, did you know? We used to have this confusing, unreliable system of each having our own trees for entrances, but this much more efficient. And this way only those who know the secret knock can get in.we had a bit of a run-in with Hook figuring out our tree system and so we switched," Samuel said. Nick grabbed her arm and pulled her along. 


	3. Mermaid Lagoon

She forgot her thoughts for a moment and studied her surroundings intently.  
  
They were in some kind of jungle, and although it was blisteringly hot in the sunlight, under the canopy of palm trees that protected their heads from the burning sun it was cooler. Trees and plants of all different shapes and sizes that Erin had never seen before were everywhere. Could this really be Never-never Land? She asked herself. Are these really the lost boys? And is that really Hangman's Tree? They came into a large clearing.  
  
"Hey, come this way. This is the shortcut to Mermaid Lagoon. Real babes," Jack insisted, motioning to a path to the left.  
  
"Come on, Jack," Colin complained, "He wants to see the island. Can't you just do something else for five minutes?" Jack glared at him and stepped closer. "Hey.let's go see the mermaids first," Tucker said, stepping between Colin and Jack. "Then we can go and see the rest of the island, Colin." Colin reluctantly followed as they took a left turn into some woods. "Be sure to stay on the path, Erin," Winston told her. "There's quicksand in these parts.very treacherous." "If you do get mired in the quicksand," Samuel volunteered, "spread out your arms and legs and try not to move: that will just make you sink faster. One of us will throw you a vine for a rope and drag you out." "Oh.thanks," Erin said. That makes me feel very.secure, Erin thought to herself. Flowered vines were covering all the trees now, and their overpowering perfume made her feel a little bit unsteady on her feet. She stumbled over a root in the path, but Winston caught her arm. She smiled at him and he looked away. Those eyes.They look like my father's eyes, Erin remembered. Only.bluer. Jack was running ahead, past a curve in the path. Erin heard a low, murmured chorus of female voices. "Oh, Hel-looooh, Jack." She suppressed a laugh.Jack was obviously very popular with the mermaids. Erin rounded the corner and stepped out onto the bank of a dazzling pool. The sunlight was bouncing off the water and Erin had to blink a few times before her eyes were adjusted to the diamond shimmer of the water. The lagoon was about the size of a tennis court, and the sapphire-blue water was clear and shining in the sun's bright rays. A few waterfalls cascaded into the lagoon. All around the lagoon, lily pads floated and there were flowers of all kinds as a border. There were rocks situated in the pool that made convenient resting places for the lagoon's inhabitants- "Mermaids." Erin breathed. There had to be at least 15 or 16 of them, and they were all so beautiful that it hurt to look at them for too long. They all had luxurious hair that streamed down their backs to their waists.from the hips down, they all had the scaly, shimmering bodies of fish. Some of them were sitting on the rocks, combing out their hair while they sang songs that were sticky with sweetness, songs that reverberated through the pond, or staring moodily at their perfect reflections in the water. A few were lazily sunning themselves on a large rock or braiding flowers into each other's hair, and a few were swimming with fish-like grace through the diamond-clear water. "Excuse me.you there." Erin looked down at the red-haired mermaid sunning herself on a rock who had just spoken to her with suck a mocking tone. "Get out of the way. You're wrecking my tan." "Well, sorry," Erin said sarcastically, moving out of the sunlight. "Insolent child," sniffed the red-haired mermaid, flipping water at Erin with her golden fins. Erin stepped back in distaste.she had never known that mermaids could be so rude. More water hit her on the face, and she looked down to see the red-haired mermaid laughing. Another mermaid popped her head out of the water.this one had shining black hair that shone almost blue with its darkness. "Margaret.stop it. He didn't do anything to you. You can be so immature, you know what I mean?" "Immature, Juliana?" threw back Margaret. "Oh, just stuff it, you airhead." "Why, you.I'm going to stop before I say something that I'll later regret, Margaret," Juliana said, disappearing beneath the water, than showing up again closer to Erin. "I'd like to apologize for her atrocious behavior.you know, we aren't all that rude." Margaret slipped off of her rock and accidentally-on-purpose flicked more water at Juliana and Erin. "That little.excuse me," Juliana stopped herself, smiling. "Margaret has a temper problem, you know?" Juliana dove to the bottom of the lagoon and scooped up a handful of brightly colored pebbles. She pulled herself up onto the rock with her hands and one by one threw the jewel-like pebbles into the water. "You're new, aren't you?" Juliana asked. "Yes, actually, I am." "Something new.we don't get very much of that around here, you know? Everything is the same - day in, day out. I'm just so.bored of being here, you know what I mean? Nothing ever changes; nothing exciting ever happens anymore. It wasn't like this before Pan left." Juliana threw the last pebble into the water and sighed, then reddened. "Excuse me.talking about Pan makes a lot of people angry, you know?" Erin was about to ask her why, but Juliana slipped off the rock and back under the water, swimming off to the other side of the lagoon where she swam beneath the waterfall and disappeared. Erin looked into the shallow water as a new thought occurred to her. Is Neverland really what I have dreamed of? Or does it have its problems, its prejudices and broken hopes just like everywhere else? Erin was broken out of her reverie by Tucker's sharp whistle. "All right, boys, let's head out," he shouted. Jack, who had been sitting on a rock where a blonde-haired mermaid gave him a back massage reluctantly got up and joined the group of boys. "Let's head for Indian country," Colin suggested  
  
*******Author's Note******* This story was written by three friends, I'm just the only one who has any time, so here it is. PLEASE make suggestions and constructive criticism. THANK YOU! Enjoy. 


	4. Indian Attack

"Let's head for Indian country," Colin suggested. Jon, in the lead, took the left fork in the path and counted heads as everyone passed by. "All present and accounted for, Tucker." "All right, boys, let's be quiet and maybe we'll happen upon a party of Indians. They have ears that can pick up a noise anywhere in the island and they usually avoid us unless they have a good reason not to. But if we don't see any, we can still go to their camp. There are bound to be a bunch of Indians there." Erin tried to walk silently, avoiding the snap of a stepped-on stick and the thump of a carelessly dislodged pebble like the other lost boys, but it seemed that the harder she tried, the more noise she made. "Don't worry about it, Erin," Todd whispered shyly. "It takes a while to pick up the Indian tracking techniques, but you'll get it." "Don't think about not making noise," Samuel added, "Just try to think about making silence. Don't think about not stepping on dry leaves and sticks that will crack, but think about stepping on places where it won't make a sound." Erin shook her head and kept walking, sounding like a lost elephant among a posse of ghosts. Gradually, the scenery started to change. The palm trees were replaced by evergreens and maples, and instead of foreign ferns, Erin saw more plants that she recognized, like the raspberry bush by the side of the path. Erin couldn't resist plucking off a few ripe, red berries, and their familiarity made her feel just a little bit more sure that Neverland was solid and real. The ground was different, too: instead of sandy soil it was dark red-brown and rich. "This is Indian territory," Winston explained. "We'll be able to see all the Indians, and the chief, and T."  
  
"Tiger Lilly?" she interrupted. The boy looked amazed.  
  
"Wow. How did you know that?" He stopped in his tracks. "How do you  
  
know about her?"  
  
"I read about it." Winston looked puzzled. "Read about it? Where?"  
  
She realized that they probably didn't know there was a book about them. Wait a minute, she thought. Them? What is wrong with me? This is only a dream. "Well," she began, "See, back in the. regular world, you see, there was a book published about Peter Pan and all his adventures. They even made movies about it. And Wendy, Michael and John, too."  
  
"That idiot!" Samuel whispered loudly, clenching his fist. "He wasn't supposed to tell anyone about this place. Or about us. Or about anything! Now people will flood into this place, by the Millions! Our land will be ruined."  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it," she explained, "the book is at least fifty years old, and no one has shown up so far. Everyone considers it make-believe. Except me." It took a minute to grasp what she had just said. Except me? What am I saying, that I believe all this hogwash? I wish it were true so much, though. "But what about Peter? I mean, Peter Pan? Whatever happened to him that he isn't here?" Erin inquired. Samuel and Winston both looked around nervously. "Tucker's watching us.we'll tell you about it later." whispered Samuel, but this time it was a whisper of secrecy, not silence for tracking. Tucker plucked a few raspberries off of a conveniently placed bush and motioned the boys to stop. "Well, boys, I guess we should turn around and take the path to the Indian camp. They don't seem." Tucker was suddenly wrestled to the ground by a tall, bronze-skinned man. He screamed and cursed at him. "Indian attack!" all the boys screamed together. She didn't know what to do. Suddenly, a tidal wave of tall Indians streamed out of the trees, and the hatred backed by icy fear in their eyes couldn't be make-believe. Some were carrying bows and arrows; others had long spears with sharp tips glinting in the sun. As an arrow screamed by, missing Erin's head by inches, Erin felt the last shreds of a veil of her own belief that it was only a dream, a make-believe imagining falling away. The arrow lodged itself deep in a tree and Erin felt a wave of panic rising inside her. She shoved the panic down back into a tiny, controlled not at the bottom of her stomach and tried to think clearly. "Get down!" Erin shouted. The boys disappeared into the tall grass. With trembling fingers, she reached into the pocket of the pants. Inside laid a slingshot and sharp, tiny stones. She pressed the point of a stone against her thumb, and a tiny red drop appeared. "Perfect," Erin murmured. "Slingshots! Then, back into the trees. There are too many of them!" Soon the air was filled not only with the Indian's ghostly, chilling war cries but tiny sharp missiles that rarely missed their mark. A few Indians retreated, but most just shot their arrows faster. "Into the trees! Climb up into the trees!" Erin hissed. The boys followed her into the trees, scrambling up the trunks. Erin heard a sharp groan, and saw Tucker kneeling at the base of the tree. "Tucker! Come on!" she cried. "Can't . . . leg . . . Indians . . . they shot me in the leg . . ." Tucker whispered in pain before passing out on the ground. 


	5. Multiple Complications

When Erin put her hand down, something cold and slippery greeted her fingertips. A nest of large brown speckled eggs lay in the branch, and Erin could tell by the smell that the eggs had gone bad. An idea was forming in her mind. Looking around in her tree, Erin saw that there were dozens of identical nests. She hefted a round egg in her hand, and was suddenly reminded of playing baseball with her friends in Central Park.before Sharon had broken up all of her friendships and scattered the pieces like shards of shattered glass.but there was no time for memories and regrets, not now. "Hey.Jon!" Erin hissed, shaking the branch to get his attention. "The nests . . . they're all over. We'll throw rotten eggs at the Indians!" Jon shook his branch in approval and passed her idea along to all the other boys. "Ready . . . set . . . go!" A storm of rotten eggs flew out of the trees. The Indian braves didn't know what the slimy, foul smelling mess that hit them was. It got in their eyes and they instinctively ran towards the trees, dropping their spears and arrows on the ground. They wailed in confusion, bumping into each other, lying on the ground and kicking their legs in the air. Eggs continued to shoot from the trees, and the Indians scattered. Even though it must have only been a few minutes, it felt like hours passed before the clearing was silent. The only evidence that there had ever been a battle was the spears and arrows lying forgotten on the ground and the stench of rotten eggs. Erin scrambled down the tree to see if Tucker was all right. She knelt by him to check his pulse, her own pulse quickening as she saw the gray pallor of his face. A shadow passed over her and she looked up. Her heart quailed at the sight of another Indian, unnaturally tall and wearing an elaborate feathered headdress. "Me big chief Great Big Little Panther . Heap big mad. You stole Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily mine. Big Chief Great Big Little Panther get heap big mad. Indian braves try to get Tiger Lily back. You give Tiger Lily to Big Chief Great Big Little Panther before 3 sunsets. Or else!" The native held up something small and sparkly. "Tinkerbell!" Erin breathed with horror. "But I . . . we . . . Tiger Lily . . ." Erin protested as Chief Great Big Little Panther (*A/N* That's his real name, it's in the book!) turned away. Before he disappeared into the trees, he turned around, pointing a long, accusing finger at Erin. She shuddered as he whispered in a venomous voice that carried all the way across the clearing. "Three sunsets!"  
  
". . . And so, he said that we have 3 sunsets to get Tiger Lily back to him. Or else they're going to do something terrible to Tinkerbell!" Erin finished explaining what Chief Great Big Little Panther had told her. The boys, even Tucker who was wincing with pain, were silent. "But we don't even know where Tiger Lily is!" Jon burst out. "Well, still, having three days sunsets to find Tiger Lily is better than being dead, isn't it? I mean, if it weren't for Erin and his ability to keep a clear head, we would all be in Tink's situation," said Jack. "Yeah, he really saved the day!" said either Daniel or Charlie; Erin couldn't tell which twin was which. Erin's mind swirled. His.he? Then, all at once, she realized what they were talking about. They thought that she was the boy. They thought that a boy had saved their skins. And she was afraid to find out what would happen if she told them the truth. "I have to go and get some fresh air." Erin gasped. What would they do to her if they found out she wasn't a boy? Erin took a deep breath as she sat down on a stump. A twig cracked behind her and she looked back over her shoulder. It was only Winston. He sat down on the grass by the stump, with a heavy sigh. "I know." "Know what?" "Erin, you're not a boy. You're a girl. They don't think that girls belong here!" "But I . . . do they know?" "No, of course not. Only I guessed." "But I saved their skins. They even know it!" "Yeah, but . . ."  
  
"But what?" "But you're a girl. Because of Ella.ah, I mean.they just don't think that you're as good as they are. Even though you did save us all." "Are you going to tell them?" "No. You deserve . . . you deserve a chance, at least after what you did for us." Erin was surprised to see that Winston was blushing. He got up abruptly and turned to go inside to the hideout. Erin hid her face in her hands. If she could find Tiger Lily in 3 sunsets and save all of them, would they accept her for who she was?  
  
*** A/N*** PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top. Thanks =) ****** 


	6. Discussions and Debates

Erin heard Winston walking back to the door set into Hangman's Tree.  
  
"Well, see you around." he muttered.  
  
"Winston?" Erin suddenly turned around.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Oh, never mind. Forget it." Erin felt her cheeks growing hot. Winston came up beside her and knelt on the wooded ground.  
  
"Erin, don't worry. Everything will come out okay. We'll find Tiger Lilly and get out of this mess; it's always worked out before. But promise, don't go do anything stupid. Being fried by Indians is worse than having these guys claim you're not 'one of them,' believe me, I know." Winston smiled and turned to go inside, Erin followed right behind, even though she wondered how he would know.   
  
"That's impossible!" "Not true, we could do it!" "Colin's right. How are we supposed to get on Hook's ship without him noticing? It's pretty far-fetched, if you ask me." "Well, no one did ask you, did they?"  
  
Erin and Winston were greeted with a heated debate going on between the lost boys. "Hold on!" Winston yelled, "Would someone please tell us newcomers what the heck is going on?" The room quieted and Colin stood up. "Well, you see, ummm, we were just peacefully." Several snickers were heard at that. "Peacefully deciding how to find Tiger Lily." Colin glanced around the room, seeing if anyone else wanted to go on. When he realized nobody else was about to  
  
volunteer, Colin continued. "We all agree that Hook kidnapped her. Jon thinks we can sneak onto the ship without anyone noticing us. But how are we supposed to do that, Winston?" "Well, getting on to the captain's ship, that could be challenging. But..." "Told you so!" "He never said we couldn't!" "You know Winston! For him, challenging means pretty darn unlikely!" Chimed in another voice. Very shortly, the boys were fighting again. Winston massaged his  
  
head with his thumbs. Tucker, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, limped around the mob of screaming boys to join Erin, Winston and Colin, who were looking on. "If only Pan were still here," Tucker muttered, "he would have figured it out. And would've stopped all this arguing." By now, boys were hitting, biting, and wrestling each other. "Stop it!" Erin screamed at the top of her lungs. The boys froze. "What's the use of fighting among each other, when we only have 3 days before one of our  
  
very good friends dies? Colin, Jack, Eric, you guys don't seem to like this sneaking onto the ship idea." The three boys nodded. "Do you have any better plans?" Suddenly, Jack and Eric boys were very intent on tidying up their hair while Colin looked away, scowling. Erin bit her lip to hide her smile. "We'll take that as a 'no'" proclaimed Winston. "But, I.I." stammered Charlie. "Spit it out, Charlie!" ordered Tucker. His annoyance flashed in his eyes. The 10 other boys seemed to shrink under his gaze, and Tucker stood up taller than anyone else, even with his wounded leg. Tucker searched the crowded room, seeming to challenge anyone to deny his authority. "Okay, here's what we'll do," Tucker began. "Hook is the only other person in Never-Never land besides us that could have taken her. So, obviously, he took her. But I really, really doubt we are going to be able to sneak on his ship without getting caught, so . . ." A thought suddenly popped into Erin's head. "Wait," she interrupted, "there are a lot of pirates working for hook aren't there?" Nick answered, "Well, yeah.but what does that have to do with anything?" Erin's eyes glowed with inspiration. "What if.what if we dressed up as pirates and snuck on the ship? He can't know all of the pirates. There are so many of them." "Oh my gosh, that is a good idea," Samuel replied, stunned. "I wonder why I didn't think of it in the first place." "Wait, wait, it gets better," Erin insisted. "You see, we won't all sneak on the ship. We'll pretend that we have captured some lost boys, and well take one or two on the ship. That way nothing will seem suspicious at all. Hook will actually praise us." All the boys nodded in agreement, except for Colin, who looked away stonily. Winston looked around happily. "Well then, let's get started! Jack, Todd- go try and get some pirate clothes or something. The rest of you, go help. We'll need about four or five full outfits." Everyone started to leave. "Wait, Erin, you stay with me." Erin looked at him. He was blushing again. All the other boys left. "Before you go anywhere," he said quickly, "we're gonna have to do something about that hair of yours." 


	7. Phase One

"Before you go anywhere," he said quickly, "we're gonna have to do something about that hair of yours." "Oh, yes, that," Erin sighed. "Go get the scissors." In just a moment, Winston reappeared, carrying a large, heavy pair of silver scissors. Erin hoped that Winston hadn't seen her quail at the sight of them. She felt her chocolaty brown hair and immediately felt no remorse at the thought of losing it. "Okay, go ahead," Erin said confidently. Winston lifted the scissors and was about to chop off a section of her hair when she turned around and said, "No. Wait." She walked over to the mirror and gazed at her own freckled reflection. That was the Erin that was under Sharon's beck and call. That was the Erin that desperately daydreamed that something impossible would happen. That was the Erin who was afraid of taking command of her own life. She smiled grimly. The new Erin wouldn't be afraid to be a rebel, a leader, a girl who didn't have qualms at the idea of conquering her own destiny. She turned defiantly to Winston and set her jaw in a grim line. "Okay. I'm ready." She closed her eyes and let the blades snicker-snack her thick hair. At last, Winston stopped, and she looked down to see locks of wavy brown hair scattered on the floor. She smiled and bent over to pick up a curl of hair. Then, defiantly she tossed it to the ground and walked over to the mirror. She felt lighter, taller, stronger. She gazed at the face in the mirror, her mind taking a moment to recognize it. Erin grinned at her new appearance. This was the new Erin. This was who she was going to be. * Erin stumbled into the main room of the hideout and surveyed the mass of boys. She took a step back, barely recognizing them. "Colin? Jack? Is that really you?" Two ruddy-faced pirates nodded back at her. "All right. Your disguises are perfect - I barely even recognized you. So, Colin, Jack, Charlie, and Todd will be the pirates. Tucker and Samuel, and Daniel, you'll be the lost boys they captured. We can say that we gave shot Tucker in the leg. You be a pirate too, Jon. Eric and Nick.you can go around to that bluff up there, and Winston, you go to that cliff over there. You'll be the lookouts." "But Erin, Charlie and I have to be together," Daniel whined. "All right, all right. Charlie and Daniel will be pirates," Erin agreed. "What about you, Erin?" asked Jack. "Me? I'll be a pirate, too. Lookouts, if you see anything suspicious, hoot like an owl." 3 boys hooting like owls replied to Erin, and she tried not to laugh. "All right, let's go." * A group of pirates with chained-up lost boys stealthily made their way towards Hook's ship. A group of boys dressed in green clothes, whispering among themselves and occasionally hooting like an owl, followed close behind. A giggle broke out somewhere in the group of pirates, but was quickly subdued by eleven whispered "Shhh!"s. Two boys dressed in black split away from the pirates and captives to their post on Spyglass Hill. Erin smiled grimly. So far, everything was going perfectly to plan. She puffed up her chest and practiced looking like a pirate. She ran through the plan in her head. The pirates and she, their leader Toothy Tom, had captured these three lost boys near Mermaid Lagoon. They would stay on the ship long enough to find out if Tiger Lily was on board. If so, they would lock the lost boys up with her. Later, they would smuggle both of them out. But if she wasn't. Well, Erin had to admit she didn't know what she'd do if Tiger Lily wasn't on Hook's ship. A moment later, Erin felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. It was only Winston, breaking off from the group to head to his lookout on Crumbling Cliff Point. "Erin.good luck." Winston smiled awkwardly and turned around to run away from the group to his post before Erin could say anything back. She could still feel the place where Winston's hand had rested on her shoulder and it made her a little bit calmer. 


	8. Revealed

Too soon, Hook's ship appeared before them. Erin swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to forget that these were dirty cutthroats they were trying to hoodwink. She marched towards the shore, where several small rowboats were waiting. "Climb aboard, men. Don't let the captives escape," Erin hollered with false bravado. She climbed into the bow of the tiny boat and ordered Colin and Jack to take the oars. They began to row haphazardly towards the looming water vessel. "Hurry up, you dung beetles!" Someone lowered a ladder over the side of the ship. Erin tested her weight against it. She began to clamber up, pausing to whisper to herself, "This is it." She landed on the deck and faced a sea of pirates. Fear rose in her throat and she made a small, frightened sound that was halfway between a squeak and a murmur. Luckily, no one heard and she stood up as straight as she could. "Captives!" She roared. "Just look who we found lurking near Mermaid Lagoon while we were on patrol!" "Some of that no-good Peter Pan's filthy brats," Colin sneered. "Take 'em to Hook," a squat, rotund pirate snarled. "Then they'll get what they deserve." Suddenly, the crowd of pirates parted and Erin had to defeat every urge to cower. "What was this about.captives?" An extremely tall man emerged from the crowd. He had a long, thin face that made Erin want to shudder, with snaky, oily black hair paired with a rat-like, thin moustache. He had a long white feather plume in his wine-red hat, and moved with the grace of a feline even though one of his legs was pegged. He twirled his moustache around the hook on his left hand, and Erin felt a spasm of terror crash inside of her and start boiling. She angrily tried to push it down, but the sight of that silver, delicately curved, murderously sharp claw wouldn't leave her mind even when she looked away. Hook rubbed the blunt edge of the hook down his cheek and looked down his long, knobby nose at Erin and her small party of lost boys. "Captain." "Your. your honor." the pirates murmured in respect. Erin flourished a long, elegant bow. "Captain Hook, with your permission, I'd like to take these captives down to the hold," Erin ventured, her voice stronger than her spirit. Captain Hook eyed her suspiciously. "Where did you find these captives?" he asked nasally. "Near.near Mermaid Lagoon, your captainship," revealed Charlie-or-Daniel. "And what do you plan to do with them?" Hook asked. "Why, we'll. interrogate them, then put them in the hold. We could hold them for ransom," Todd suggested. Captain Hook smiled grimly, a mocking grin that made Erin feel sick, then laughed out loud, a sticky, malicious laugh that made Erin want to go running back to the hideout beneath the tree. He pointed to Erin with one long, accusing, manicured finger on his good hand. "Loyal friends and pirates," he sneered, including Erin's companions as part of his cutthroat band, "see your treacherous companion for the traitor she is!"  
  
****A/N***** Sorry that this chapter is so short. Please, please, please review my story. I changed it so everyone can review. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thanks! 


	9. Downfall

Erin lost her balance from the shock, her mind dizzy and faint. For a moment, she couldn't see anything except the blinding, purple-white light of betrayal behind her eyelids. She grabbed onto the railing around the deck and her eyes fluttered open. Even the sea seemed to be confused and angry, black waves dancing furiously. Erin shuddered as the wind whipped around her, as if it wanted to carry her away, all the way back to Sharon's apartment in New York. Erin stared back at the huddled groups of pirates and boys with a hopeless courage rising through her cold body. The lost boys looked at each other, each one unsure. Erin found a sense of twisted triumph in their befuddled stares, the way they couldn't look her in the eyes. They don't know what to do. I've saved their skins. And now they don't know what to do with me, a girl who will never really be one of them.  
  
With a look, Hook conveyed everything to Erin. The triumph that she had clung to only a few moments before flickered out. Hook's stare was full of a venom that made Erin look down. But she looked back at him instead, trying to match his piercing gaze. Didn't you know, you silly, naïve girl? Didn't you know that you could never pull it off for long? They know it, why didn't you? I won't even have to do anything to you. Anything at all. Your former comrades will have no mercy now. Hook looked away and started to laugh, a laugh that extinguished any flame of hope that might have remained inside her. She searched for a friendly eye among her comrades. But every one had a hint of suspicion that was glowing brighter every second. Captain Hook was still laughing. It was not pleasant laughing, but a laugh that was colder than the wind rushing all around them that snapped the sails and whistled through the crow's nest. As he calmed himself, Hook began to speak. "Why do you think people are disappearing?" "Yes, that's right, more people are disappearing." "The coxswain, Buxweed Bill, he's gone. Gone! Without a trace!" "And First Mate Smee! What happened to him?" "That red-haired mermaid.what's her name.oh, yes, Margaret, she's gone too! When I went down to the Mermaid's Lagoon today, she wasn't even there!" "The cabin boy, Tomás." "Tiger Lily!" Erin looked at Colin, shocked. His face had gone hard and unforgiving, like Hook's, and she shuddered. "The mermaid Juliana!" "And that Indian brave, Running Bear, he's missing too!" The list of names continued as Erin looked on in horror. Slowly, Erin watched each of her companion's faces turn stonelike and unforgiving. "And another one among your number seems to be missing, too." Hook continued, his voice smooth and insubstantial like whipped cream. The boys looked around unbelievingly. Erin didn't know what, or who, they were looking for. "Tucker Banks," continued Hook. 


	10. WineDark Sea

But, unlike Hook, both Erin and the lost boys were suddenly very  
  
tense. Erin examined the crowd of boys, seeking for the one accused missing. It was true: Tucker wasn't to be found. Erin vividly remembered seeing Tucker climbing aboard the rowboat behind her. But when would Hook have been able to kidnap him? Maybe he had fallen overboard. Maybe he was pushed. Maybe, right now, he had snuck down to the hold and was looking for Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. But, as she turned around to give her explanation to the Lost Boys, Erin realized that they would not be listening to any reasoning. She faced seven of the bitterest looks she had ever seen in her life. She knew they wouldn't, couldn't hit her. They wouldn't hit a girl, she thought bitterly. But their words stung worse than actual blows. "Traitor!" "It was you, it was you all along who stole Tucker, and Tiger Lily, and Margaret.and all of the others!" "A girl! She doesn't belong. She's not one of us. She never really was." "She pretended to be helping us and she was really out there kidnapping all of those people." "Girls are like that. Flighty, weak, irresponsible. You can't trust them. We should have known." "She's disgraced us.everyone in the gang. How could Tink have brought her here?" "It doesn't matter how she got here or why she took those people. She's a girl and a traitor and that's all that matters!" Erin's eyes filled with tears. She hadn't done anything wrong. Nothing at all! She found herself wishing that she was dreaming, and thought bitterly about her excitement at the beginning, how she had prayed it wasn't a dream. Why would anyone kidnap all those people, least of all her? And why had Tinkerbell chosen her instead of a normal boy? The noise of boys mimicking Hook's chilling laughter was too much. She closed her eyes and gave up. It didn't matter anymore. Hook's voice cut in, and Erin thought that the silent tears flowing down her face would freeze. "Walk the plank." She felt cold, ruthless hands tying her hands behind her back. A bandanna that smelled like the hideout under the tree was wrapped around her eyes. She didn't care. She didn't ever want to open them again anyway. Erin felt herself being lifted up. Someone was shouting in her  
  
ear, "Erin, remember this, we don't want to see you again. After all, you're just a girl. Remember." Erin stood up shakily on the undulating plank. She walked out to the edge and stood as tall as she could, with her face up to the sky. As she heard the sickening sound of wood being sawed, she turned around to face the lost boys. It didn't matter if they didn't care. She cared. No matter what happened, she would still care. The plank split with a blood-curdling crack, and Erin felt herself falling, falling. She hit the ocean hard on her back, and burning cold water fought its way into her mouth. Erin kicked her legs weakly and tried to take a breath, but water came instead of air. Waves turned her over and over. She kicked fiercely, trying to break surface, but water kept filling her mouth.  
  
Slowly, Erin decided to give up. No one wanted her in Neverland, and no one wanted her in New York. Erin started to sink silently into the deep ocean. 


	11. Helping Hand

Suddenly something grabbed her arm and she felt water rushing against her body. She couldn't fight it but she didn't care. Finally, she broke the surface, and she inhaled the oxygen deeply, sputtering out salty water. She was coughing so hard she couldn't speak, couldn't think. It felt like her head was filled with cotton balls, soggy, salty cotton balls. There was someone holding her arm, panting heavily. "Erin.Erin.I.Erin," the person gasped between breaths. Erin looked to her side. It was Winston, his wet hair plastered against his forehead. "I.I just couldn't.just let you die.because.because.I just couldn't." He choked with every breath.  
  
Erin just looked at him. "But.but.why would you do that for me? You heard what they were saying, didn't you? I'm a traitor. A girl. Which is worse? I don't know. To you, the words 'traitor' and 'girl' seem to mean the same thing." "Erin, you know I..."  
  
The boat was far away from the sandy beach where they were sprawled. Erin looked up at the cliff where Winston had been keeping watch. "Winston, did you jump off that cliff.for me?" Winston nodded slightly and looked away from her, at the boat. Even though the boat was far away, Erin could hear the boys yelling. "Winston! What did you think you were doing? Are you a traitor too, or just stupid?" "Hey, Winston, go and give her to the Indians! While your there, you might as well just give yourself up, too. It will be better than what's gonna happen to you two when we catch up with you." "Just like last time.Winston always takes the girls' side." "Why did Winston do that, anyway?" "Because he's got dung beetles for brains." "Because he's in it together with Erin." "I think he has a crush on her." Erin blushed, and she could hear boys and pirates alike murmuring, "Ooooooooo!" Winston looked down at the sand, his ears bright red. "Come on, Erin, let's go." He stood up, brushing sand off of his clothes. Erin stood up and shook out her hair. Winston headed into the trees, going towards the other side of the island. "Winston? Where are we going?" "There's a clearing up here. Sometimes I go there all by myself to just.think. It's not too far." Winston's voice was tired and resolute, Erin followed close behind. It did not take long to reach the tiny clearing. Winston and Erin sprawled onto the moss. She was suddenly very tired. Winston lay on his back beside her, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. After a long while, she broke the silence. "So. what are we going to do now? We .we can't go back, all the boys will kill us. They still think.they still think that I did it." Winston took a deep gulp of air. "I don't know. They all must hate me now." "Hate you?" Erin gargled, choking on some seawater that was rising in her throat, "Hey, they almost killed me." Erin assumed Winston had no reply to this, because he changed the subject. "We can't go back with the lost boys. We can't stay with the Indians because I suppose they'll think we took Tiger Lily. We can't stay with the pirates - well, you know, we wouldn't have done that anyway. We can't even stay with the mermaids...because they think we stole Margaret and Juliana. So...we have nowhere to go." Winston paused for a moment, looking up at the sky filling with stars. "Nowhere to go," he repeated. Erin was back where she started. "You know...that's exactly why I didn't try to swim back up and let myself sink, because I knew no one wanted me anymore." "Erin, you know that's not what I meant.." Erin sighed and rolled over. The stars were different here than in New York. New York.Erin closed her eyes and dreamed of it. Outside of Sharon's apartment, it hadn't been so bad. She remembered everything about it: the way it smelled in the morning before people and traffic had clogged the air with their smell and noise, the polar bear who did the backstroke in the Central Park Zoo, the musical instrument exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum where hardly anyone ever went so she could sit and dream, the taste of Mr. Winda's hot dogs slathered with mustard and sauerkraut.Erin's stomach rumbled. As she opened her eyes, her mouth opened at the same time and words spilled out. "Winston. You said there's nowhere to go. But you're wrong." She turned to him, leaning on her elbow in the moss. The moonlight was shining on her face and she was smiling a secret, excited, beautiful smile. Erin heard Winston catch his breath. "Winston, have you ever been to New York?" 


	12. A Pinch of Pixie Dust

Erin heard Winston catch his breath. "Winston, have you ever been to New York?" Winston flipped over onto his stomach to stare that puzzled stare of his at Erin. She smiled secretively. "Uh, say that again, will you?" Winston cocked his head with confusion, gazing quizzically into Erin's hazelnut- green eyes. "I said 'Have you ever been to New York?' We could go there. Live in Central Park, eat hot dogs and roasted corn, run away from all this." She swished her hand toward the pirate ship and the opposite shore. Winston bit his lip and gazed into the black forest. "But, well, that's a good idea and all, but where'd we get the money from? Where would we sleep, and doesn't it snow in New York? This will take a lot of planning. Besides, don't you want to prove to them that you didn't do any of that stuff they're accusing you of?" Erin stuck her lip out in frustration. "Well, we can't stay here. That is for sure. The other lost boys will scalp us when they find us. We can't hide forever. Plus, who cares what the lost boys think? Let them think I stole the Mona Lisa, I don't give a--" "Not proving you didn't kidnap Tucker and Tinkerbell would be living a lie," Winston interrupted, "and I couldn't do that. Could you really live like that, Erin? " Erin was sucked into Winston's bottomless blue eyes. She was pulled into his whirlpool gaze, the setting around her swirling, mixing into one color. All she could see were the eyes, clear and bright. She was drowning in those eyes, those bottom-of-the-sea-blue eyes and for a moment, she didn't even care. Erin slowly shook her head, and then laid her cheek down to the ground. The scenery shifted, a little bit puzzled, into its original colors, as if she was getting off a spiraling merry-go-round. A tear dripped down her cheek, and the dam that Erin had been holding up all night cracked. Erin threw her hands up to her face, trying to cover up her outburst. Her shoulders shook with disappointment and defeat. Winston rose to his feet, helping Erin up with him. He gently put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her to his chest. Erin buried her head in his shoulder, letting the tears run along her nose. Even through her tears, Erin noticed that Winston smelled like pine trees and seawater. Eventually, Erin pushed away from Winston, rubbing her eyes with closed fists. "What am I going to do, Winston? When I got here, I thought that I would change, turn into a better person. Be strong, be brave. But, here I am, the same pitiful girl who can't really do anything!" "Erin! Calm down. You have done so many things here, even though you were in Neverland for such a short time. You saved the lost boys from the Indians, you thought up an almost perfect plan to rescue Tiger Lily, and you are going to rescue us from our plight. I know you are. What more could a person ask for?" "But." "But nothing! Get to work, Erin -- 'cause we have to plan a vacation to New York City!" Erin tried a tentative smile. "I.I suppose that you're right." "Of course I am," Winston assured her, wiping the tears from her face. "Everything is going to be wonderful. Let's go." He took her hand and led her through the dark woods. Tree branches reached for their faces; moonlight dancing through the trees and the darkness closing in around them. They walked in silence. Winston knew his way well, and sooner than perhaps Erin might have liked, they found themselves under the massive old Hangman's Tree. I would have loved to stay, she thought to herself as they entered the hideout. This is all I've ever daydreamed about and now.I'm leaving. She looked up at Winston and smiled. Well, I'm not leaving everything. "Here." Winston interrupted her thoughts and led her to a part of the ancient tree that she hadn't seen while she was there. There was a long, narrow staircase carved into the trunk, twisting into the uppermost branches. "It's just here," he beckoned, leading her onto a bough. "This is where Tink lives." They were standing in front of a large, luminously beautiful white flower that seemed to be glowing. "A moonflower," Winston explained, "they open at night." The words had barely excaped his lips when the great petals folded gracefully open in a movement that was just a breath of the dance of the night. Erin had never seen anything like it in her entire life. But then again, she had never seen anything at all like Neverland before this day, either. The inside of the flower was glowing brilliantly gold, illuminating their faces in the darkness. "Pixie dust," Winston informed her, a smile breaking across his face at her amazement. Erin noticed her mouth was open and closed it quickly. He laughed, a laugh that lit up Erin's feeling of being lost like the shimmer of the pixie dust cast a golden shadow of light on the darkened branches around them. "You take it like this." Winston dipped his hand into the flower, a magnificent gold powder covering his fingertips. He sprinkled it over his head. The dust shimmered in his hair for a moment, and then disappeared. ".and you think a happy thought." Winston closed his eyes. "And." Winston rose into the air steadily and hovered a few feet above the branch. Erin's mouth fell open again. "Now you." A rush of exhilaration filled her body. To fly. Suddenly, she remembered something her mother had repeated to her when she was very young. Flying really is possible, if you believe in your dreams. Not everyone believes, so it's not possible for them. But you'll fly, Erin, you'll soar right up there to the tops of your dreams. Erin closed her eyes for a moment, turning her face up to the sky to drink in the light of the full moon. Her hand shaking with anticipation, she dipped it into the very center of the moonflower. She instantly felt a warm, tingling feeling in her fingers. Anxiously, she showered herself in the sparkling powder, and thought of the happiest thing she could. Winston. My best friend in the whole world.Neverland or New York. He alone believes in me. He alone understands me. He alone respects me. And with him, mother, I really will even higher than the tops of my dreams. She felt the wonderful ecstasy of the dust flow through herself, and her feet left the ground behind. ******A/N********** I am SOOO sorry for the lack of updates. I hope that this section is make up from my horribleness (is that a word?) Also, I know that this is kinda cheesy, but I didn't really write it. My friend "indigospice" did. Yes, well, that's a long story. ENJOY! And thanks for all the reviews. =) 


	13. His story

Winston grabbed her arm, leading her into the sky. Erin felt the wind tickle her neck and then brush past her hair. Watching the ground diminish quickly beneath her, Erin felt a touch of nervousness. What of the pixie dust di9dn't work on her? Would she fall, losing control of the little hope that she still had? But Winston's firm grip on her arm reassured her. He gently tugged Erin up to be level with him, slowly letting go of his gently grip on her wrist. Teetering for only a second, Erin realized how easy flying was. Smiling, she turned Winston. "Winston, I- " "I'll reace you to that cloud!" he interrupted. "Readysetgo!" Winston shot off like an arrow. Erin laughed, and gave a few fast kicks, following Winston close behind. "That was not fair, starting without any warning. Are you afraid I'll beat you?" "No, not really." Winston crossed his legs, with his hands behind his head. "Well, I'll race you to that cloud over there." Erin pointed. "On your marks, get set, go!" Erin flung her hands forward to get some momentum. She blasted through the air, wind whistling in her ears and making them tingle. Erin's eyelids were forced closed, to protect her eyes from the fast-moving currents. She reached the cloud panting for breath. Winston was leaned up against the cloud, twiddling his thumbs. "What took you so long?" he asked innocently. Erin smiled through her gasps for air. After resting a few moments, Erin and Winston started to sail through the night sky. "What happened to Peter Pan, anyway?" asked Erin as she and Winston floated among the clouds. "And why does everyone try not to mention his name?" "Well, it's a long story." "I've heard a lot, you know. There was a book; I finished it just before Tinkerbell brought me here." "Really? What was it called?" "Peter Pan. Creative, isn't it?" Erin replied sarcastically. Smiling, Winston shook his head. "Well, most the lost boys of the time went to live with Wendy and her mother, though a few of us, like Tucker, stayed here because we refused to leave. Tucker's been here the longest; none of the rest of us were here before Wendy. But Tinkerbell was lonely with just the three of us; she's been going around the world ever since and trying to find someone who will care for her like Peter Pan did. Some of us have left and grown up, a handful of us have stayed. Every so often Tinkerbell brings us someone else." "I never heard about Tucker in the book." "Tucker was never very fond of Wendy and her brothers, and he was also pretty distant from the other Lost Boys. Pan was his favorite and he was Pan's. Most of the other Lost Boys were jealous of him, maybe Wendy, too. Maybe when they left and had their adventures chronicled, they held a grudge against Tucker and so left him out of the book. I dunno." "Oh." "We all knew that Peter was devastated when Wendy left. She still came every year to do his spring-cleaning, but he didn't like her to know that he missed her so much. So sometimes, he would pretend that he never thought about her. A few times he even didn't go, trying to break his attachment to her. And it worked, a little bit. He tried not to think about her, and finally she grew up and he was still in love with the little girl who had been his mother so many years ago." "But when Wendy grew up, Peter had her daughter do his spring-cleaning." "Right. Her name was Jane. Pan lost himself over her, too, but it was the same as it had been with Wendy, and eventually she grew up, too. She had a daughter named Margaret and it was the same story. We never quite knew if he loved each girl for herself or just for being a girl. But with Margaret's daughter, it was different. Her name was Eleanor. She completely stole Peter's heart away. By this time, there was a fair band of lost boys. Tucker and Jon were second to Peter-" P"Yeah, but what about Eleanor?" Erin cut in.P "I'm getting to it! Stop interrupting!" "Sorry." Erin sheepishly did a somersault in the air. "So, anyway, Peter would bring Eleanor to Neverland. We called her Ella, because she reminded us of Cinderella." "Hmm.Cinderella was the first story Wendy told Peter, right? My mother loved that story, too, because she was called Ellie.oops. Sorry. Keep going." Winston glared at Erin as she stared uncomfortably at her hands. "The difference was that Ella really adored us back.all of us, but Pan in particular. You see, Wendy and Jane and Margaret had all regarded Pan as almost just fiction, made of stories and make-believe. They never believed that Pan was quite capable of love, so they never returned his affections. After having his heart broken three times, another time would have probably destroyed him. But Ella was different in that she saw what Peter needed and she could give it to him. P"Ella never regarded us differently because we were of Neverland and she wasn't, like her mother and grandmother and great-grandmother had. She would tell us story after story. She never did anything to make Peter angry. She would always keep her head in battle, never screamed or ran away. Like you." Winston glanced at Erin, seeing how she would take the compliment. Erin's cheeks grew hot as she stared into the lightening sky. She smiled, urging Winston to continue. He smiled hesitantly back. "Well, Peter finally realized that he really loved Ella, and you could see when she looked at him that she loved him back. Peter was horrified when he realized that his love could be growing up, and he ran away. Well, actually, he escorted Ella back to her house one time and never came back. We all knew it was going to happen, but it was still a shock when it finally did. That's the last we ever heard of Peter Pan: that the legendary kid who will never grow up finally did. Everyone couldn't realize that it was Peter's choice as much as Ella's; they always thought that it was Ella's fault that Peter was so mystified. But I. that's why they are so against girls; think that they're traitors and all that." Winston paused, closely watching Erin's reaction to the tale. pp*********A/N************* Thank you for all your reviews. The story does keep going, as you can tell. Also, I agree that without the paragraphs it is hard to read, and I'll try to put more in. Sorry. ENJOY!! **** 


	14. Papayas and Paradise

Winston paused, closely watching Erin's reaction to the tale. "Did you ever not like girls, Winston?" Erin asked. "Actually." Winston paused, looking away and taking a deep breath. "I was hoping that I would never have to tell you this. But I don't want to lie to you." Winston stopped and seemed to be looking at something that Erin was unable to see. "People have always said that I'm stubborn, and they're right. I don't like to conform to what others expect of me. So when Ella left with Pan and everyone blamed her for it, I spoke out on Ella's behalf. I told them that we shouldn't blame Ella or just girls in general because Pan decided to leave with her. So." Winston trailed off, then looked down and continued. "They drove me out of their gang. As I ran away, they were throwing stones at me and yelling, 'Don't come back until you've changed your mind, or we'll make sure that you never come back.' Things like that.it was the worst experience of my entire life. So I ran away and resolved never to return. I lived wild in Neverland for a while, eating berries and sleeping in trees. I was finally captured by the Indians. They never did anything bad to me though.and for a long time I just lived with them, as an Indian. But with Tiger Lily around, my views that girls didn't have any worse traits than boys stayed the same. Still though, I missed all of them.I missed the life. So later I told Tiger Lily that I had to go back, and she just let me go. I returned and they were so glad that I was back that they never asked if I had changed my mind and I never had to lie. But it hasn't ever been quite the same. I'm sorry to bother you with this, Erin, but I've never talked to anybody about it before. I've never really wanted to share it." "That's awful. They threw you out just because you stood up for Ella?" "I think some of them agreed with me but didn't want to admit it." Winston's open emotions slammed shut, and the way that he looked straight ahead told Erin that the discussion was over. They flew in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. They had been flying for quite a while. It was much like swimming through air.and got very tiring after a while. Erin was quite winded. She slowed down and ran her hand through her tousled hair.the wind had long abated and the silence of the sky seemed eerie and oppressive. Erin broke the spell of quiet. She had been wondering something for a while. "Winston," she began hesitantly, "when- when Tinkerbell took you from your home, you know, what was your life like then?" Winston stopped in midair, and Erin had to circle back around to face him. "Here," he offered, "let's rest for a little while...and I'll tell you about it." He floated toward a cloud and sat on it like a chair. Erin followed and did the same. The darkness of the night was fading very quickly, and Erin could see rays of sunlight peeking over some clouds in the distance. It was all very beautiful, the clouds turning beautiful oranges and yellows and the sky turning from deep purple to gorgeous pinks and reds. Winston sighed. "Well, this was a long time ago. I was born in 1903 on a farm in the Rocky Mountains. I had nine brothers and sisters, and I was the youngest of them all. But it was a hard life. My mom had a drinking problem- and when she had her drinking spells she was really terrible to us kids. She used to beat us and scream at us, you can't even imagine. Three of my brothers and sisters had already run away. My father was gone most of the time, he was a trapper, and so my mom was with us all the time. It finally got to the point one night when she beat me so hard I couldn't even open my eyes. And that was the night that Tink took me away...and I never knew what happened to everyone else." There was a long silence. Erin tried to register this, but it shocked her at how terrible everything in his past was. "But really, I know all parents must not be like that. I mean . . .what was your mother like?" For an instant, Erin's mind flashed to Sharon. She had been terrible and cruel and unkind to her also. But suddenly, her thoughts sifted and her stomach dropped. What about her real mother? And almost as suddenly as the thought had entered her mind, she was ripped from her sub-conscious back into reality. It felt as someone had pulled the floor from beneath her.and she was falling. She was falling, falling through the air as the wind rushed past her ears and her stomach seemed to jump into her throat. She suddenly was very aware of the churning ocean below her. The sea seemed so hungry and so deep, so very bottomlessly deep. It was getting closer, too, as she whistled through the air and all of a sudden Erin could hear the eerie sound of the breeze rushing across the half-formed waves and the whispering, haunting rush of the writhing water below her that was getting nearer and nearer.now she was so close to it that she could see the whitecaps forming and feel the salty, cold sea wind and she knew that in just a moment she would crash into the water and the hungry waves would consume her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the imminent chill of the cold water. The waves were roaring now, in ravenous anticipation. Just as her feet touched the freezing seawater, two warm, familiar-smelling arms caught her, holding her tightly just inches above the tongues of water. Erin melted into the reassuring curves of Winston's strong arms and buried her face in his shoulder. Winston hovered above the waves for a moment before turning and rising up in the air to carry Erin towards the small patch of island in the distance. Erin was trembling and when Winston set her down upon the branch of a papaya tree, she felt it and made sure that it was real and sturdy before relaxing and leaning against Winston as he sat beside her. The dawn was just becoming day, and the sun's early rays seemed to calm the see, satiate it and make it seem less stark and greedy and threatening. Erin smiled for a second, uneasily. She didn't quite trust the air and curled up against the trunk of the papaya tree. "Erin? Are you gonna be okay?" "I'm." Erin had to take a moment and lick her dry lips, "I'm fine. I think. You've saved me twice in less than 24 hours." Suddenly, Erin's stomach rumbled as she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the raspberries in Indian country earlier. "But I'm starving, Winston. Aren't you?" "I could eat anything, right about now." Erin grinned and reached for a papaya, peeling off a section of the skin and tossing it to the ground. She gave a quizzical look to Winston at his look of revulsion. "Erin, what on Earth is that you're eating there?"  
  
"It's a papaya, of course. You've never had one?" Winston shook his head no. "We had all kinds of fruit in New York.mangos, breadfruit, boysenberries.but papayas were always the best." Erin bit into the soft, pink skin and juice dribbled down her chin. "I love papaya juice," she said to Winston, her mouth full. Uncertainly, Winston plucked a papaya off of the branch next to them and tore off a section of the skin. He examined it, looking sidelong at Erin, before taking a tiny bite of the fruit. Erin smiled at the look of surprise that spread across his face. "You like it, Winston?" Winston didn't answer, just took another enormous bite. They both finished their papayas and several more, not pausing to talk as they devoured the succulent flesh. Erin didn't feel like talking. The papaya would stay down and she wouldn't be queasy if she didn't think about the cloud's betrayal, the way that the clouds had grown smaller as the rushing ocean came too quickly into focus.  
  
****A/N******** Okay, a few things. Thank you all for your kind reviews. They make my cup of joy overflow. Second, I can't figure out WHY my story doesn't have any paragraphs, because it does when I write it. So, if you could give me a tip on how to make paragraphs, I would be most pleased. It is extremely hard to read with them. My sincerest apologizes. Thirdly, sorry I have gotten so off track. I kinda forgot about Tiger Lilly. So pretty much, they are fleeing to New York because they can't stay in Neverland because no one likes them, and because Winston (aka ME) couldn't think of anything better for them to do. Well, ENJOY, I hope that you still like it although my plot has somewhat vanished. =) *********** 


	15. Erin's Story

Erin, full of papaya, sat back to watch the last of the morning pink disappear as the blue and yellow of full day pushed it away, along with her uneasiness. She couldn't be afraid of the gentle turquoise waves that lapped the white-sand shore. "That was the best thing that I ever ate in my entire life, Erin." "I know.but Winston, why do you think I fell out of the cloud back there? I tried to think happy thoughts and fly, catch myself, but I just couldn't seem to get the flying thing to work. What was going on?" "I think." Winston's ears colored. "I'm sorry that I asked you about your parents. I think that when I mentioned your mother, you thought an unhappy thought. And when your flying, really unhappy thoughts are like holding a burlap sack of lead. Sometimes when you're flying, you get a little bit off-balance and unsteady if you think about something bad. You learn to control it, not to let it affect the pixie dust, the flying so much. But I never actually fell, not even so long ago when I was just learning. You must have." Winston paused and cleared his throat, suddenly entranced by the ocean. "You must really miss your mother a lot." Erin's small happiness about the beauty of the morning beach and the sweet papayas deflated like a punctured beach ball. She felt a tingling in the back of her nose and forced it away. I will not cry I will not cry I will not cry in front of Winston. Erin took a deep breath and muttered, "Yeah." "Do you want to tell me about her?" It was strange, Erin had always felt before like she should keep her mother a secret, a private memory only for herself. If she shared the fragile memories with other people, they would break them, shatter them into tiny pieces of dust that would blow away on the wind. But when Winston asked, she realized that there were cracks in the memories that she hadn't noticed before. Maybe Winston could tell her how to keep the cracks from splitting and the memories from breaking. She felt tears straining again in her throat and started talking before they could gain a hold on her. "It's not recent. I mean, I didn't just leave her when I came to Neverland. She's been out of my life for a long time. She was beautiful.classically beautiful, but not exactly in a womanly way. She was almost like a little girl sometimes. The way that she smiled made me feel like we were not mother and daughter but best friends, two little girls who wanted to tell secrets and play on the jungle gym at Central Park and buy saltwater taffy and eat it all at once, sitting on the fire escape and looking at the people passing by on the street. She would always tell me stories at night.I don't really remember any of them now, just that they were filled with perfect adventure and magic. Then she would kiss me three times on the forehead and turn out the light. That's what I remember about her the best. And as she was turning off the light, she would say, 'May fairies guard your sleep.' My dad loved her, I could tell that. I was never sure if she really loved him, though. And then she left us when I was only five years old. I don't know where she went. Dad hinted that she ran off with some other guy. I don't know. Maybe she'll come back for me someday. "But then Dad was really depressed. He put away all of the pictures of her, all of her jewelry, her clothes, her bottles of perfume in the bathroom, the special hot sauce that she liked. He started dating other women.I hated all of them. I tried to make life miserable for them and none of them ever lasted. Until.until Sharon. My dad absolutely doted on her.there was nothing I could do to make him see that she was even worse than all of the others before her. I begged him and prayed and wished on falling stars that they wouldn't get married, but he thought that I was still against, not Sharon, but just the fact that Dad had gotten over my mom's leaving and I hadn't. He thought I was just doing the same thing as I had for all of his girlfriends before Sharon. But Sharon was worse.a hundred, a thousand times worse. "They got married when I was eight. I was the flower girl and I carried a basket of orange poppy petals down the aisle. Sharon's daughter was a flower girl too. Her name is Shannon.she carried a basket of white flower petals. That's all I remember about the wedding, looking at the aisle and seeing a path of orange and white petals. I was numb. But I was right. After they got married everything changed, everything. I wasn't allowed to do anything that I ever wanted to do until I finished my chores.and when I finished those, Sharon made up more. Shannon got my room; I had to sleep in the laundry room. Shannon also got my dad. He would ask her about her day at school, take her to Long Island, tuck her in and turn out her light. He stopped seeming to care about me at all. Except for one time when he looked at me, with this face that was trying to tell me that I was right, that he had been wrong and now he was too lost and scared to do anything about it. But when he disappeared I wasn't sad. I just wanted to disappear too. "But Sharon was my legal guardian. I know she wanted to get rid of me but she had to take care of me. She took away my friends, my freedom, my entire life. I was miserable. Miserable. She would do horrible things to me." Erin paused. "I don't want to talk about that. I started telling her that my grades were slipping and I had to stay after school to have special tutoring. It wasn't true, of course, I was always a good student even when she.even then. But she thought it was funny, that I was stupid, and so she believed me. I would go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and sit in the Musical Instruments of the Western World. No one ever came there. Or I would go to the Egyptian Art exhibit and walk around it in circles, circles, circles. Just to be alone. Just to be away from her. And then I came to Neverland.I can't stay there. I can't stay in New York. There isn't anywhere in the world or anywhere else, for that matter, where anyone wants me." 


	16. NYC

Erin felt empty, but not in the same way that she had before. That had been the hollowness of lost hope, dreams displaced by nightmares. But now she felt as though a weight she never quite noticed was even there had been taken away. It would be easier to carry if Winston held it, too.  
  
"Erin, that's not true. I want to be with you. Wherever you are, that's where I want to be. Maybe there's no place in the world that either of us can go but that doesn't mean that there's no place where we're wanted. We want to be with each other, don't we?"  
  
"But New York...how are we going to get there if I can't fly?"  
  
"Who said you couldn't fly? Think a happy thought and try it. I told you that it takes practice. It helps when you get it out into the open, into words. Then it's like carrying...oh, cardboard boxes instead of bricks. Try it."  
  
Erin pictured the sight of the papaya's juicy pink flesh—now that had been a happy thought after going hungry for so long—and tried to recapture the sensation of flying, the tingle of the pixie dust. Easily, Erin rose up into the air and hovered for a moment, flying back and forth. She settled back down on the tree branch and looked quizzically at Winston. "It's not so hard, is it?"  
  
"No...you're right," Erin said, settling back down onto the branch beside him. "So now what?" Winston and Erin rose into the air and continued on their journey. After several hours of exhilarating flight, the pair was feeling extremely out of breath. Then, through the darkening clouds appeared the glimmering lights of New York City. Before them, the welcoming hand of the Statue of Liberty beckoned them forward to the spreading city. The lights specks of light formed towering skyscrapers as they flew nearer: the Chrysler building, glistening like a crystal; the Empire State Building, dignified and calm, slightly disdainful towards the new, taller buildings; the Brooklyn Bridge, a luminous pearl necklace draped across the Hudson, alive with the throb of white-and-red car signals. Erin laughed at Winston's amazed stare.  
  
"This," Erin shouted as she looped around the shining torch, "Is New York City! The Big Apple! N-Y-C!" Landing quietly on the head of the Statue of Liberty, Winston surveyed the land before him.  
  
"Look at all the lights!" he shouted, bringing Erin down to shush him. "There could be people right below us, you know, they'll hear you!"  
  
"Oh, sorry." Winston whispered sheepishly. "But can you believe how many lights there are! It's incredible!" Winston stood awestruck. Laughing at his bewilderedness, Erin soared into the air circling the statue's crown.  
  
"I dare you to count them all!" she smiled.  
  
"Are you trying to make me go insane?" Winston hollered back up at her. "How many are there? A million?"  
  
"More than that." Erin replied  
  
"Ten million? 100 million, wow, this is incredible!"  
  
"You said that already!" yelled Erin as they made their way across the harbor. "Wow." was the only answer she got back. They flew in awed silence for a while. Even Erin was subdued by the view of the familiar city spreading below her. Seeing it from above gave her an idea of just how enormous it was. Winston didn't know where to turn his head.  
  
"Central Park is right there." Erin interrupted the quiet. "Be careful, though, and don't fly too close to any windows. We'll be in major trouble if we're seen." Winston just nodded and followed as Erin slowly spiraled down into the single unlit part of the city. Landing softly on the pine needles, Erin motioned to Winston. "Try not to be seen by anyone, "she whispered. "They will be very suspicious of two 14-year-olds wandering around in here at this time of night."  
  
"Hey, I'm a lost boy. I know how to camouflage," Winston replied. "Where are we going, anyway?"  
"Well, I guess we could stay in the caves for a little bit, but there will be kids running around in them during the daytime. We'll have to figure out a plan at one point."  
  
"I think it's too late to do that now," Winston yawned. "Let's find somewhere to go to sleep." Winston's yawn was contagious; Erin caught herself yawning, too. They hadn't slept in nearly two days, and she could feel a heavy wave of sleep passing over her. Flying was quite invigorating, but her adrenaline had settled down and she realized that she was exhausted. Before long, Erin and Winston found a suitable cave and they proceeded into the darkness. It only extended a few feet back into the rock, but both were too weary to care. Winston lay out along the back wall, and Erin nestled in beside him. "Wow," Winston sighed again, "I can't believe I'm here." Erin yawned again and moved her head onto Winston's shoulder.  
  
"Goodnight," she breathed, dwindling an inch from sleep.  
  
"Goodnight." Erin was lulled into a deep, dreamless sleep by the quiet beating of Winston's heart. He carefully wrapped his arms around her warm, sleeping body and fell asleep.  
  
By the time Erin opened her eyes again the sun filled the cave and the laughter of children drifted toward her. "Ugh," she groaned, stretching her stiff back. She rubbed the spot on her thigh where she could still feel the imprint of the sharp rock she had slept on all night. Her left arm was asleep and she could tell that her hair was an absolute disaster. Winston stirred at the sound of her voice and groggily opened his eyes.  
  
"What's for breakfast...er....lunch...er....food?" he slurred sleepily.  
  
"You're such a guy, all you think about is food," Erin reprimanded, looking down at him.  
  
"Sorry, but I haven't eaten since the papayas. Tell me you're not hungry."  
  
"All right, fine, I'm starving. Let's go."  
  
"You're such a girl, all you think about is food," Winston imitated her.  
  
"Let's go," laughed Erin, pulling him out of the cave. They both squinted in the bright sunlight of Central Park.  
  
"What time is it?" asked Erin, shading her eyes.  
  
Looking up at the sun, Winston answered, "Around 11."  
  
"Okay, whatever. Oh! That means Mr. Winda's hot dog stand is open."  
"You eat dogs?"  
  
"No, hot dogs: all-beef sausages on a bun," Erin chuckled.  
"What?"  
  
"You have a lot to learn." Erin grabbed Winston and pulled him through the crowds. They wove their way in and out of the trees and through the familiar labyrinth of paths. "Mr. Winda!" Erin shouted.  
"Erin-san! It has been a very many days since Mr. Winda has seen you," he cried in his thick Asian accent. "Cut your hair did you Erin- san?"  
"No, my face just grew," she answered, smiling sarcastically.  
"Oh!" He paused for a moment. "I think you are pulling Mr. Winda's leg Erin-san!" They laughed together. "Ah, but who is your friend, Erin- san? Your boyfriend is he?" Erin felt her ears turn pink and she dropped her eyes.  
Winston stepped forward. "Um, can we have some..." he read the sign "...hot dogs please?" Mr. Winda broke into a wide smile and looked back and forth from Erin to Winston.  
"Of course, Erin-san!" He busied himself puttering around his stand, preparing the dogs.  
"...But, you see...we don't have any money," Erin stammered.  
"Ah, this could be a problem Erin-san." He studied the disappointed faces of the pair. "But since you are such a dear friend of Mr. Winda's, and you have brought your very special friend..." he winked "...to see Mr. Winda, then he will let you work for them."  
  
"Thank you Mr. Winda!" Erin ran to hug him.  
  
"Erin-san, Mr. Winda wants you to clean the grill. Friend of Erin- san, you help. Stay for one hour and Mr. Winda will pay you with hot dogs! You and your friend put on those aprons over there."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Winda," Erin and Winston said together. Mr. Winda was true to his word. After the longest hour in Winston's life, they got their hot dogs. Erin asked for hers with mustard and sauerkraut. Winston's was loaded with ketchup, pickles, sauerkraut, mustard, and tomatoes. Winston loved them. He downed the hot dog so fast that Mr. Winda gave him another one, free. Erin had another one, too, but she could only finish half, so Winston ate the rest.  
  
"Do you usually eat like this, Winston?"  
"Nope. I guess I'm growing now that I'm back in the mortal world again."  
  
"Well, it's about time you had a growth spurt," Erin smiled, looking him up and down.  
"Excuse me, Erin-san," Mr. Winda interrupted, an anxious expression on his face. "Is there some reason you are dressed like a bum out on the street? Everything is all right at home, is it not?"  
"Uh, oh yes, I forgot about that." She pulled Winston aside. "What are we going to do about our clothes? People don't dress like this here."  
  
"I don't know..." Winston whispered. "Does it matter what people think?"  
"Yes, it does! Now, we don't have any money...but we could go back to my old apartment because Sharon and Susan are out this time of day. You could wear some of my clothes."  
  
"Girl clothes?" Winston looked quite horrified at this suggestion.  
  
"There not that much different anymore," Erin snorted. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Winda!" she cried over her shoulder as she led Winston out of the park. They walked down 50th street toward Sharon's apartment building.  
  
"Wow...look at all the automobiles," Winston gaped, staring at the passing cars.  
  
"You mean cars?" She answered her own question. "There are a lot of them since the invention of the assembly line. You better get used to them." He coughed in the exhaust of a truck zooming by. "A lot of things have changed since you've lived here."  
  
Winston nodded in agreement, but his mind seemed elsewhere. "Do you hear something?"  
  
"You mean besides the roaring of cars and hundreds of people walking down the street?" They both stopped and listened. She heard a faint tick tock tick tock.  
  
"You hear it, don't you?" Erin nodded. She looked around for a clock or someone wearing a watch, but she couldn't see either within hearing distance. "What could that be?"  
  
"It's coming from here." He motioned toward a manhole in front of them. He bent down and put his ear to it. "I can hear it. Listen." He took her hand and pulled her toward the ground.  
  
"Are you sure?" "Yeah, listen." Erin quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking and put her ear against the drain. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.  
  
"What is that?" Erin inquired. "Here, help me get this off." She pulled at the heavy manhole cover, and, with Winston's help, slid it off the hole.  
  
Suddenly, out of the dark opening emerged a giant, scaly crocodile head. Erin and Winston both jumped immediately to their feet. "The sewer crocodiles of New York City!" she screamed, backing up a few yards. She clung tightly to Winston. Within a few seconds, the crocodile's entire body was out of the drain and mass chaos formed around them. People began screaming and running in every direction. Erin was frozen with fear. But the crocodile remained where he was, staring unblinkingly at Erin and Winston. Tick, tock, tick, tock.  
  
"Croc!" Winston cried his voice full of relief. He kneeled down and stroked its head.  
  
"What are you doing!" Erin shrieked, stumbling backwards. "Winston, are you crazy?" Winston looked calmly back at her, patting the crocodile. "Erin, relax. It's 'the croc'. You remember: with the clock. He's the one who bit off Hook's hand."  
  
Erin caught her breath. "So...he's not dangerous then?" Her heart was still pounding in her chest. "Not as long as you don't have a hook for a hand," Winston laughed. "Come on, give him a pat." He motioned toward the crocodile. Hesitantly, she kneeled down beside him and ran her hand over its scaly head. It made a deep, almost purring sound from the back of its throat.  
  
"But wait..." Erin was perplexed. "How did the croc get here?"  
  
Winston looked quizzically at her for a moment, pondering her question. Suddenly, his face lifted. "It all makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, think about it. People were disappearing from Neverland, weren't they? Tucker, the mermaid, Tiger Lily...well, they had to disappear to somewhere didn't they? Maybe people from Neverland are disappearing to New York!"  
  
"But..." Erin stumbled over her words, "...how? Why? Is it possible?" Winston didn't have time to answer, because the crocodile had turned on its belly and was heading back down into the sewer. "Croc!" Winston shouted after him. "Where are you going? What..." The crocodile's giant tail disappeared down into the hole. "Erin! We have to follow him! This is the only way we can find out exactly what's happening!" Winston disappeared into the hole. "Hurry!"  
  
Erin didn't have time to think. She lowered herself into the drain and felt her feet catch the rungs of a ladder. She stopped for a moment, pulling the cover into place. The last thing we want is people following us down here! thought Erin. As the manhole cover slid into place, pitch blackness took over.  
  
"Come on, Erin! We're going to lose him!" She groped for the ladder rungs, praying that none of them had rusted through. One, two, three, four, five, six – Erin kicked wildly for a foothold. Her hands slipped off of the slimy ladder and she landed in a foot of muck and sludge.  
  
"Ugh!" Erin sputtered. She was grateful that she hadn't changed clothes; the Lost Boy garb was fairly water resistant. Except for the drainage holes that gave tiny slivers of light every few yards, the darkness pressed upon her like a weight, threatening to spill into her body and drag it downward into the muck. She could hear the squeaking of rats and smell human waste all around her. Winston's shadow was barely visible ahead of her.  
  
"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, "he went this way." Erin clung to Winston's hand as they stumbled through the sewage. Once Winston lost his footing and they both tumbled down into the mire. Winston swore colorfully and they helped each other up, and then dashed off again, still following the tick, tock, tick, tock, of the crocodile. "I never can remember the difference between an alligator and a crocodile," said Erin, making an attempt at conversation.  
  
"Shush!" replied Winston. "We're losing him!" After that, Erin was silent. Above them, she could hear the sounds of passerby in the streets; every once in a while, she felt the deep, vibrating thrum of a subway passing somewhere nearby. Erin started to shiver. She couldn't help it, the sewage had completely saturated her moccasins and with every step she felt a slimy, squishing sensation. Even though she had gotten used to the stench, every time she saw the red reflection of rats' eyes, she felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle.  
  
Erin lost all track of time as they wandered through the subterranean maze. She wasn't sure if it had been hours or only a few minutes before they abruptly changed direction, squeezing between a fissure in the wall a number of inches above the water level in the tunnel. Erin stumbled out the other side and blinked to adjust her eyes. This tunnel was long and round, but the light from one of the Coleman lanterns that someone had already placed there she could see that down at one end it was caved in, the rubble completely blocking the way. The other end stretched far away, and the light faded before she could tell if it curved away or just kept going. It took her a moment to place where she was...it was a subway tunnel, but one that they certainly couldn't be using now. Not for some time, she thought, since the rails were darkened with rust and grime.  
  
Winston was surveying the subway tunnel, as well, and as he reached down to touch the main rail, Erin grabbed his arm.  
  
"Winston! Don't touch the rails...even if they aren't using this tunnel anymore, the rail could still be electrified. You'd die in a minute if you touched it. In the stations, the rails are insulated with a rubber coating, but this far down they don't bother. If we don't know, it would be better not to find out by one of us getting electrocuted."  
  
Winston drew away his arm, eying the subway rail warily. However, just then the crocodile stepped on the rail, as if it was trying to show them there was no danger. Erin relaxed, but Winston kept a safe distance from the rail.  
  
"Erin, why did the croc take us here, do you think?" "Dunno. What's this?" Erin asked, holding up an elaborately beaded leather satchel. "I have no idea. And this?" It was a mirror with a gold back and mother of pearl designs on the handle. "Who knows. Hey, where's he going?" Winston spun around at Erin's voice and ran after the crocodile. Erin dropped the beaded bag and dashed after the pair.  
  
Through the fissure on the opposite side of the tunnel, down what seemed like miles of the damp, reeking sewers, over a catwalk that spanned the conjunction of two sewage tunnels, and on through yet more endless tunnels they trudged. Erin could tell by the waning light that evening was coming on. Had they been moving in circles? Erin couldn't tell. Hadn't they already passed that ladder leading back to the surface? No, with a ladder every block or so, it was hard to say. Why are we even following this animal that Winston thinks knows something? If someone had told me that I would be doing this four days ago, I would have thought that they were crazy! This is crazy! thought Erin. Lost in her musings, she bumped into Winston when they came to an abrupt halt. 


End file.
